Hospital staff 'not getting adequate dementia care training'

Hospitals are failing to provide dementia awareness training to their staff, a report has found.

Ninety-five per cent of hospitals do not provide all staff with training in dementia awareness, according to the National Audit of Dementia.

The report looked at the care given to nearly 8,000 patients with dementia at 206 hospitals in England and Wales.

In addition to uncovering 'unacceptable' levels of dementia awareness training, the report also discovered that less than half of patients with dementia underwent mental health tests when they were admitted to hospital.

ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW

And a third of dementia patients did not have a nutritional assessment recorded.

Professor Peter Crome, geriatric medicine specialist and chairman of the report's steering committee, said: 'Yet again a report has found marked deficiencies in the care of older people with dementia in general hospitals.

'There is still reluctance by clinicians and managers to accept that the care of this most vulnerable group of patients is a core function of acute hospitals. This must change.'

MOST POPULAR

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said that the lack of staff training in dementia care was 'unacceptable'.

'Assessing someone's nutritional status is also vital if we are to stop people getting worse in hospital rather than better,' he claimed.

'We know hospital staff want to do a good job, but without training and support they are being prevented from providing good-quality dementia care.'

The report also found that 80 per cent of hospitals had no system to ensure ward staff were aware of patients with dementia, while just 35 per cent had a strategy in place to address typical symptoms, such as agitation and confusion in an unfamiliar environment.

Mr Hughes noted that some hospitals have made efforts to improve dementia care.

'With the right commitment we can reduce avoidable hospital visits, stop people deteriorating whilst there, and allow them to return home rather than moving into care,' he added.

The materials in this web site are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor. The web site does not have answers to all problems. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you notice medical symptoms or feel ill, you should consult your doctor - for further information see our Terms and conditions.

Getting healthy just got a whole lot easier

Don't miss out on the latest healthy living news and inspiration direct to your inbox.

Enter your email address:

this is a test error

We will also let you know about discounts and great offers from us, tick this box if you'd rather not know about these.
Hearst Partners would like to let you know about some of their fantastic discounts, special offers, and promotions. We promise you wont be bombarded. Tick here if you would like to receive these.